


Up to the Moon and Back

by WendigoDreaming (orphan_account)



Series: Hannibal Drabbles [3]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: AU, Adopted Children, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Gen, Hannibal and Will are married and adopted Abigail, M/M, Murder Family, where everything is sweet and nothing hurts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 05:25:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1886691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/WendigoDreaming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adopting Abigail had been the final piece in Hannibal and Will's perfect puzzle. But it was the final piece as in the last piece. As in there was no room for anyone else. As in don't bring a boyfriend over for dinner or else he'll be dinner. </p><p>(Murder family domestic fluff)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Up to the Moon and Back

When Will had first swaddled Abigail in the cashmere blanket while Hannibal signed the final paperwork with the social worker, he had watched her small hands grasp his finger and he had instantly fallen in love. 

And when she was put into the Bentley and her crying was silenced by the sound of Chopin on the radio, Hannibal looked tenderly in the rearview mirror, more at peace than Will had ever seen him.

It didn't matter that nobody wanted her because her mother had been brutally murdered and her father was the famed Minnesota Shrike; Abigail was the perfect final puzzle piece in the bizarre family he and Hannibal had stitched and sculpted together over the years.

It also didn't matter that her fathers were unconventional, or in the eyes of society, criminal. They loved her more than any two people could ever conceive of loving something so small and fragile.

They painted the nursery room purple and Will watched as Hannibal resumed the caretaker role he hadn't held since Mischa. He fell in love all over again every time he caught him pouring over parenting books or discussing the pros of homemade baby foods.

Sometimes they would sit in the nursery with a tea in their hands, just listening to her sleep.

It was with Hannibal's unwavering guidance and high expectations combined with Will's gentle reassurances and endless patience that they raised her in the limelight of Baltimore's elite. As Abigail grew into a toddler they dressed her up in little fur coats and introduced her to the operas, and even to Hannibal's annoyance, Dora the Explorer.

Scraped knees were kissed by Will and bandaged by Hannibal. Lures were weaved with Will demonstrating for the twentieth time how to wind the wire. Hannibal watched her blab to Will in French as he poured over the paper, forgetting that French was the secret language between her and her papa to be shared over cooking a rude accountant together.

Summers were spent in Europe in museums and parks, winters at the opera houses and tucked in their living room with Abigail forcing reruns of god-awful cartoons as they all cuddled on the couch.

Hell, even in the hormone fueled teen years when Will and Abigail matched each other in their strange flares of stubbornness and Will watched it leak into his and Hannibal's own love life... it was still their definition of perfect. They dealt with the piercings, the heartbreaks from foolish boys and one other girl, and Will had to stop Hannibal from finding the addresses of half the cruel "friends" of Abigail's that would tease her because of their family.

Finally there was college where Hannibal and Will could come back to their common ground before Abigail. They spent the weekends in Paris or Florence, or at some retreat tucked away in the mountains for Hannibal to write a new research paper and for Will to bury his nose in heavy books. Their sex life picked back up and with long bi-weekly calls from their daughter, and the absence of her obnoxious cat from their pack... things settled back to a new normal.

And then there was this.

"Mister and Mister Lecter... the uhm... stew is really interesting." 

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Allegro con Brio played increasingly loudly and threatening over the scraping of forks and knives against the best silverware in their dimly lit dining room. Hannibal and Will flanked the ends of the table with Abigail and her new serious boyfriend on the opposite side. They had him trapped between two serious predators, and it seemed the boy was finally noticing that.

Hannibal stared down at the boy as he pushed around the food in the most ungrateful way. Will could see the way his husband gripped his fork tighter and gave that tight lipped smile of his that always spelt trouble. This time though, he wasn't going to step in and save the poor person's grace. No, this time "Eric" was all on his own.

"It's a traditional Filipino stew, I acquired an authentic recipe while we were in Manila for a psychiatric conference." Although it wasn't traditional to substitute the pig for long pig. "Offal stewed in a spicy gravy of pig's blood, chili, garlic, and vinegar."

The boy coughed, trying to mask it in his fist as a cough. "What's offal?" He croaked.

With one look at Hannibal Will silently wished to answer this one. "Lungs, ears, hearts. Offal can be almost any organ or entrails." Then he took a bite of it and watched Eric turn green to his utter satisfaction. 

Abigail sent a small reserved glare their way and took a bite of her own stew, years of exotic cooking having bred the food anxiety out of her. "It's not as bad as it sounds Eric. Think of it like blood pudding." 

When he finally was able to get a bite into him he moved his jaw mechanically without tasting it. He was bulky, tanned in a way that suggested manual labour with a smile that was rather lopsided; charming but empty. It was clear the finer things in life would be lost on him.

"So, what do you do for a job Eric? Can you support yourself?" Will said coolly as he watched the boy squirm. It was easy to empathize with him and see how nervous they made him... Will just chose not to care. He couldn't be as subtly threatening as Hannibal could, not when Abigail was concerned. 

"Yeah, I mean... well not now. I'm still in college, but during the summers I work at my dad's construction site." 

"What college, if I may ask?" Hannibal asked politely, before picking up his wine and taking a sip. Eric took up his wine glass and did the same with zero finesse, drinking it like a cheap beer.

Abigail looked sideways at her older father, frowning. "Does it matter what college?" She said in French, scolding Hannibal in private. Hannibal, to his credit, tried to look somewhat ashamed.

"Brooksview, sir." 

Not a very good college. Not that Will had been that much of an education snob himself, but with Hannibal's MD from John Hopkins, his forensic science degree at George Washington, and Abigail's current stint at Yale, their family was well educated. How could he keep her stimulated mentally? The last thing he and Hannibal had envisioned for Abigail was as a bored housewife. She could have the world, and they'd serve it on a plate for her if she only asked sweetly.

"Eric is doing really well in the construction program there." Abigail added before reaching across the table to grab his hand. It was obvious it was meant to annoy both her fathers, and Eric must have noticed because he started to sweat.

"Is he?" Was all Hannibal could say. Will could bring up his time fixing boat motors in Louisiana, but then they could perhaps attempt to forge common ground. The more uncomfortable Eric was the better chance he'd leave Abigail alone for something better. 

She deserved the best, Hannibal had said enough the night before Abigail arrived as he pillowed his head on Will's lap and they watched a documentary together in bed. Abigail was beautiful, stunningly so, with intelligence that spoke to her rearing. She was well read, trilingual in English, French, and recently Italian as well, played piano amazingly, dabbled in taxidermy jewelry and was always on the dean's list. She was authentic, different, and all theirs.

Leaning back, Hannibal gestured to the classical painting on the wall behind Eric’s head of the swan peering up at the genitals of a stretched out, nude woman. "Tell me, what do you know about Leda and the Swan? Do you have any knowledge of Romantic paintings? Perhaps operas?" When Eric turned around his face turned red at the lewdness of the painting right where they ate and how incongruous the question was.

"Papa... Daddy..." Abigail warned.

Dinner progressed in much the same fashion; Will quizzed the boy like an interview as Hannibal visually picked out which organs he wanted to harvest over the severe chords of Beethoven.

In the kitchen, as they prepared the next dish meant to terrify and disgust the uncultured creature at their table, Abigail burst in, livid.

"I cannot believe you both!" She said, trying to school her anger but bursting at the seams. Strands of brunette hair slipped from her braided bun to fall in disarray around her wind-chaffed face.

"Hm?" Hannibal looked up from the treats he was preparing.

"Don't act innocent papa, even if you did not speak as often I know you plan what gets served. Dinuguan and what is that? Youchu Choco?" Abigail pointed at the beetle shaped Japanese treats made of orange peel, chocolate, corn flakes, and dried squid being prepped on the marble counter and threw her hands up in the air in exasperation as if she was beyond believing what her two fathers were capable of.

Will moved forward, slipping past his husband to reach out and reassure their daughter. Her eyes were wild and she had that look she got when stressed where to Will she resembled a cornered animal. "Abigail, I'm sure he's a really nice guy and he seems decent enough but is he really your type?" Meaning, she could do a lot better. "Does he make you happy?"

"Yes, he does. He makes me incredibly happy, he’s smarter than you seem to think. But truly, you two are one to talk! You didn't even know you liked men until Papa, Daddy. And Papa you said you had never even been in love before Daddy. What do you know about "types"?" 

Will could hear a small chuckle from beside them as Hannibal turned around and leaned against the cool marble counter, his gaunt and carved features melting in fondness. "It seems our daughter has a point."

"As always." Will's own face melted at the sight of Hannibal moving forward to bring Abigail into a tight hug, rocking her a little like he only did with the two of them.

Abigail stopped struggling and sighed deeply into Hannibal's broad shoulder. "I love him Papa." Abigail's thin hand reached out from the hug to catch the side of Will's hand, giving it a small squeeze. "And he's not just my boyfriend..." She pulled away to look at them both. "I brought him here because he asked me to marry him yesterday, and I said yes."

What?

"Excuse me? Are you pregnant?" Hannibal had given those talks to her a thousand times over and lord knew Will had bought her enough condoms! She got them in her stocking at Christmas just to keep her from ending up like he almost had with his old high school girlfriend Margot a lifetime ago.

Even Hannibal had straightened up.

"No! I'm not pregnant, you always assume the worst Daddy."

Oh thank god. Will looked down at the floor and shrugged. "Habit." 

"But if that's the case... we will try harder to accept him. If he makes you happy Abigail, then we will learn to be happy with him." Hannibal pulled her against his side and pressed a small kiss to the top of her head. Abigail always preened as a girl at her Papa's affection and was no different as a young woman. Her expression lightened. 

"Well then, start by not feeding him strange foods, and no people Papa. Not yet." She scolded Hannibal before rounding on Will. "And Daddy why don't you ask him about fishing? He's a fisherman you know, albeit not fly fishing... but still."

A fisherman? Then he couldn't be all that bad. "Alright, I'll make the effort for you Abi."

"Thank you. Now I have to go back before he runs out the door. You left him with Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain for god sake Papa." She rolled her eyes and pulled them both in for a quick hug. Then Abigail was trailing back into the dining room to soothe her petrified fiancé. 

After a moment of silence, Will turned to his husband and shuffled forward to close the space between them. "Engaged? What happened to marrying her stuffed bunny?" With a groan he thudded his forehead against Hannibal's chest and breathed in the familiar scent of home and cologne. "She's growing up Hannibal, and it's scaring me."

"Me too, my beloved." Hannibal's arms snaked around him and when Will looked up into those comforting maroon eyes that had given so much pain to others but held nothing but love for Will, he leaned up to kiss him.

Rough fingers smoothed along his stubble as they shared a private moment in the kitchen, their kiss sad but also so gentle. They had to grieve the little girl that had grown up even if it hurt.

When they withdrew, Hannibal laid his chin on the top of his head, slotting Will in perfectly. "I'll go pick up a cake from the grocery store instead."

"You know I dislike those cheap things." Hannibal grumbled, his words vibrating his chest.

"Too bad." Will smirked before pulling away and weaving his fingers into his husband's, gently pulling him from the counter and back towards the dining room.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this fun little drabble of the murder family! This was done for the MurderHusbandsNetwork's episode 4 rewatch prompt "family". I just wanted to write something sweet where everything didn't hurt. 
> 
> The title of the story comes from one of my favourite books as a small child, "Guess How Much I Love You". It's the final line "I love you right up to the moon and back."
> 
> Obviously no beta was used, so comments are super appreciated. Share your murder family feels with me dears! <3


End file.
